Since their inception MSI’s MPG Carbon series have proven to be tailor made for the “average joe/jane” buyer who is bone weary tired of overpaying for ‘value added’ features. Features that should be bog standard options on any $500’ish (and above) motherboard… yet typically are not. In fact, the opposite appears to be true. Thankfully, while others are dead set on increasing their MSRP ‘to keep up with inflation’ MSI is doing the opposite and trying their best to keep price hikes under control. Take for instance the latest and greatest AMD ‘X870E’ (dual P21) chipset based version they have dubbed their MPG X870E Carbon WiFi. This motherboard has an MSRP of $489 USD (or ~680 Canadian) and while that may not sound all that impressive for those who last upgraded in five years ago… it is a mere $10 greenbacks more than their MPG X670E Carbon WiFi launched at back in 2022.
To put that in a different light, MSI has gone out of their way to keep their AMD flavored MPG Carbon motherboard series’ MSRP to a yearly inflation rate of less than 1.05 percent. Something all of us can agree they wish their countries government could match, and certainly falls under the heading of ‘reasonable increase in asking price… or at least by modern standards that is. For those upgrading from the circa 2019 Carbon version (and its $260 MSRP) that is one cold. Hard. Awakening… to say the least. However, while MSI is doing their best to keep prices under control others are not. For this generation MSI’s MPG Carbon motherboard’s main competition is not a Republic of Gamers board… as the STRIX-E is a whopping $109 more (599 USD), and the Hero is a sphincter tightening $209 more (at 699 USD). Instead it is the more value business orientated ProArt Creator… that still costs ten bucks more than the Carbon. For those here up in America’s Psychotic Hat land that translates to a whopping ~$830 for the STRIX-E, $970 for the Hero, and over $692 for the ProArt. Making $680 Canadian seem downright inexpensive by comparison.
For those just surfing the egg / (fast AliExpress… aka) amazon / Memory Express / Canada Computers / etc. that major disparity however does throw up numerous red flags… or at least it will once you are finished throwing up and get over the sticker shock of motherboards these days. The largest of these red flags is that for nearly a grand a motherboard should be so over the top in its features that it downright “god like” in its abilities. So much so no “mainstream” motherboard meant for mere mortals should be able to compete… right?… right?
Heh.
Well that would have been true in pre-ClownWorld times. Nowadays, things are not so cut and dry. Put bluntly, on paper the X870E Carbon WiFi punches way, way, way above its weight class. Rear I/O options (that AMD has placed all of X870E’s success on) are better on the X870E Carbon WiFi than the Hero. PCIe slot options? Only the slightly more expensive ProArt matches the Carbon in PCIe slot numbers (three) and performance options (PCIe 5 and PCIe 4). The VRM? With a 18+2+1 configuration made up of 110-frickin-AMP SPS ‘fets, trying to justify a noticeable increase in asking price for ‘better’ is an exercise in futility… as the Carbon X870E is already well past sane levels of overkill.
As such with so little to separate these four boards from one another decision paralysis is a real, and serious concern for buyers as there has to be a catch. Well… yes and no. With the X870E chipset being lane constricted, all boards are making compromises in where the PCIe lanes go… and this generation Team Red’s word of the day is ‘Bifurcation’. So it is more a case of opting for a motherboard that offers the most of what you want/need/desire… and less of the uninteresting bits that add nothing of value to you. Since that will vary greatly from person to person let us take a deep dive into the MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi to see how it measures up against those (mostly) more expensive motherboards. With that you can decide how much value MSI has crammed into the Carbon for this generation… or conversely if spending a couple extra (hundred) canuckbucks is a good idea for your and your build (or not).
